Parts storing cabinet



NQV. 14, 1950 J. A. BELCHER PARTS sToRING CABINET Sheets-Sheet l Filed Nov. 22, 1946- Nov. 14, 1950 J. A. BELCHER PARTS sToRING CABINET 2 Sheegs-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 22, 1946 lqvexfor J. A Belcher Patented Nov. 14, 1950 UNITED STAffES PATENT OFFICEv PARTS. SlR'INGr4 CABINET John A.A Belcher, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canadan Application November 22, 1946, Serial No. 711,551

2 Claims;

In the Watchmaking' art, the workman'is constantly dismantling watches and' re-building them with new parts. The majority of these `parts arev extremely small.. Each make ofwatch has its own parts which are seldom standardwith the' other makes. Accordingly, the watchmaker, who repairs a large number ofmakes of watches, is' confronted with the diicultproblem of storing a multitude of small parts which should be readilyaccessible..

In the majority of' cases,l these parts are, car.- ried in odds and ends' of bottles and boxes with very little system and the result is that endless hours are wasted' in hunting for the specified part for some particular watch which the watchmaker knows that he has but' does not know just where it has been placed. At times, some of the small parts get mixed with others and the watchmaker cannot tell just Vwhich watch they belong to. When such parts are required he has toV order them Which results in needless` delay While the in.- vestment in these parts is Wasted'money.

Under'this disorderly arrangement', small parts of'various watches tend to get together andthe parts' that' are seldom called' for interfere with the nding of' those parts which are more often required. A

While there are a large number of makes. of watches on the market, the standard watches; that is' the watches havingl the largestk sale. and therefore the majority that come to a watchmaker for repairs, are'limited. It is therefore ad'- visable for the watchmaker to keep the parts for these watches in places where they can be readily found, while the few parts, that 'he may have for watches that are seldom repaired, should be kept segregated.

Further, when WatchesA are left for repair and new parts are ordered", novr arrangement is made to inform the watchmaker Which watch requires the parts as they come in, unless a bookkeeping system is employed, and so they are usually dropped into the odd bottles or boxes and have to be looked for when the repair is to be done. In the same way, when a large order for parts arrives there is nor orderly method of storing, or lingsaid parts for future use. This confusion is aggravated as' the business expands and" a larger number of watch makes are to be repaired.

The principal object ofthe present invention is to provide a watchmakers' cabinet with designed containers for systematically storing all the partsV for thevarious makes of watches', in their order, and said containers'arranged for readyaccessibility-by the watchmaker.

A further object' of' the invention is to provide means for listing the various makes of' watches in relation to their parts,4 as stored, so that the watchma'ker can quickly ndl the part required for the particular vwatch without having to hunt thro'ugha lot of other parts.

A further. object of the invention is to provide means' for storing watchesrequiri'ng repair when parts have to be ordered and to store said watches in' relation to the, part containers so that the` said watches can be'prOmDtly repaired when the parts arrive. 1

A. further'object offthe invention is to, construct the cabinet'in sectionall units so that it can be' enlargedA as the. watchmaker'fs' business grows, without'altering'thesystem.

A'further object of"theinvention is to provide means" for quickly' refarranging the listing as the. cabinet isenlarged.

A further object 'of the invention isv to construct the containers'A for' removabilty so thatY the Watchmaker can'. use'. them. on' his desk whenre.- pairing a Watch or they can a1l` be removed to clean and tidy the' cabinet.

A further' objectof' the invention is to provide means on'the' containers-to inform the. watch.- maker just Where said' containers are stored in the cabinet so they can be quickly replacedvr in their properposition. y l 2- A further obj ect'o'f the'invention is to construct thev device' such; that the'watchmake'r canobserve all the' containers' at av glance and quickly. note whichparts' are. low' in' stock when ordering. supff plies.

A` further object of thefinvention is to construct the' cabinet and drawers'to` occupy a minimumof space While' giving' maximum accessibility tothe containers. A j Y .l

A still: further object. of theinvention vis to construct the device inA a'simple, and. durable manner and such that' it canrbe' placed onthe marketata relatively/reasonablecost; A

With the above' important' and other minor objects in' view'which'will' become more apparent as the description proceeds', the invention consists essentially' inthe constructionA and' arrangement ofiparts hereinafter more., particularly described,

reference being' had. tothe accompanying drawingsrin which :l l Y y Figure' l isja perspective view ofA one, sectional unit o f the'cabinet showingv onedrawer out to expose the arrangement of the various containers'. 'y Figure 2 isvan enlarged'. planview of one ofthe drawers-2V I2 x- 'Figure 3 is a" "vertical"sectionalAview taken through the drawer on the line 3-3, Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a vertical cross sectional View through the drawer taken on the line 4 4, Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a perspective view of one of the boxes for holding train wheels and screws.

Figure 6 is a perspective View of a bracket for holding bottles containing the steel parts, pinions, clocks, and crowns.

Figure '7 is a perspective view of a series of bins for holding main springs.

Figure 8 is a partial perspective view of an eX- tension for the directory plate.

Figure 9 is aV face view of one o f the index cards.

Figure 10 is a partial sectonalfview through the cabinet showing the method of aligning the sections. l l

In the drawings like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

A section of a cabinet is generally indicated by the numeral I in Figure'l. This section is of a low rectangular shape and completely closed except at the front where'four openings are provided to receive a similar number of drawers 2. 'Near the upper corners of the section, circular indents 3 are provided in the upper surface, and

A the lower surface, in a similar position, is pro- 'with four horizontal seriesoi pockets 9 to receive vertical index cards I0. Each series of pockets is numbered a's shownat IIwhile along the top of the directory the series of cards are numbered from one to twelve. From the above it will be apparent that when the watchmaker looks at the cabinet the index cards will all be in plain view, each card will belong to one of the four series and each will have a number of its own .in the series. e l

The four drawers belonging to thesection-are all alike in their contentsandso one drawer-'only will be described: The drawer of a rectangular shape and maybe formed from woodmetal or plastic as desired. A pair of partitions I2 pass centrally across the drawer to divide the 'drawer into two end compartments I3 and I4 and acentral compartment- `This 'central compartment is provided with a horizontal partition I5 which divides the compartment into an upper shallow container I6 and a lower chamber l'I havingan entrance I8 at the side of the drawer.

The vrear of the iront and rear compartments I3 and I4 each receive a bracket I9 (best shown in Figure 6). This bracketis in the shape of a step and is preferably made of metal which en-A closes a similar shaped piece of wood 20.` Six holes are provided 'in' the upper-surface of the step and through the wood tovform receptacles for a similar number4 of cork stoppered bottles 2 I, the upper ends of which extend above the step. Directly in front of the holes, the bracketllrin compartment I3 is provided with'numerals one to six while similarly thej'bracket in the compartment I4 is providedwith numerals seven to twelve so that each bottle has a number to cor'-,v respond therewith. Each .bottleis also provided with a gummed label having two sets of numbers thereon. The iirst number will be the number of the bottle and the second one will be the number of the drawer to which it belongs. Behind the holes, each bracket is provided with a holder 22 for the reception of six cards, the cards being positioned directly behind the bottles and are the same size as those on the index plate above the section.

Directlyvin front of the 'brackets I9,'the compartment's' I3 and I4 also receive a framework of six bins 23 (best shown in Figure 7). When these bin frames are in position there will be a bin in drawer is designed to receive a series of boxes 24.

These boxes are positioned in three rows of four. That is, three boxes across the drawer and four boxes lengthwise of th drawer. The rear wall of each of the boxes is marked with two setsof numbers in the'same manner as the bottles and the bins are marked, so that the boxes will be numbered consecutively from one to twelve and have a number correspondingto the number of the drawer to which they belong.

The lowerchamber Il receives 'a drawer 25 which can be slid out the'side when'thev .main drawer is withdrawn from the section. f This small drawer is divided by a partition 2li4 i'nto two com# partments 2'I and 28. The c omparhnentA Zis empty while the compartment 21 receives a metal 'covered block of wood 29 ,which half' way illls the compartment. This block, like the bracket I8, is rmetal covered and is provided withafs'eriefs of'holes to receive relatively small cork 'stoppere'd bottles 30.A This block carries five lengthwise rows of twelve bottles each, making atotal'of sixty b'otf tles. Therear wall of the,compartmentjsmarked with the numerals one to five so that Veach 'one' of the five rows o f bottles -will have a number. .The wall of the partition is lalsomarked witha series of numbers from oneto twelve tolnunlberthe I rowsof bottlesin the other direotion."In this manner leachjone of thebottles can bedesignated by selecting the numbers of'the rows in which it is located. In other words, the front leftvlhand cornergbottle would bei designated vby ,the A'nurnere als ILL. [Each of' these bottles' is providedfwith a gumined l'abelwhich is' marked with three numbers; "The lrstnumber would be .thefnurnf ber ofthe longitudinal row, the secondnumb'er would be the' number of the cross'.y rowV andfthe third' number would be the number .of the main drawerv in which the bottle belongs., The exposed outer wall'of the drawer 25 is providedwith -a suitable linger gripv 3l, flushwith Vsaid..vvallffso that when thesmallfdjawer s'lidfinto thelarger drawer'said ,largerY drawer .may be!v slid into the section. j 1 i j" ,y

rIhe cards IG, shownon the .directory "I," and those carried in the'holdersfof the .brackets IQ, are of the samev size and one of them is shown in' detail in Figure 9. Tue namefcf' fthewatch is.' printed at'v the top of the card. The .rnanufac-v turers'v'numlber'of ,the lwatch is vprinted-,on Athe second line.A 'The sizeo'f thewatch is printedon the ythird. une and the. shape or thestatalil ,is printed on the fourth .line. Whenthese cards-are inserted in 'thedir'ectory they are positioned with the vnames reading alphabetically therealong;l The y,alr'ihabetical position of thefcard automati-` cally givesfL the 4drawer number .and the, ,numberI for the particular watch,1 z `r,t .sh

. draden; In

5. other words, if the'card is positioned inthe first seriesthe drawer wi ll be number one, if in the second series kit will be drawer number vtwo and so on. -As there are two sets of numbers from one to twelve at the top of thedirectory and these numbers are opposite the cards, they indicate the number of the watch parts inthe drawer for the make of watch listed on the card. In the same manner, the cards in the drawer are listed to the same grouping.

The main springs for the various watches are placed in the bins 23 having the correct number of the make of catch. The small steel parts, gears, pinions, clicks, and crowns, are carried in the bottles 2 I. on the brackets I9..v `Train wheels, and screws are carried in the boxes 24 while the jewels are carried in the small bottles 30 in the side drawer 25. In this connection it may be mentioned that each watch has ve important jewels and that is why five lengthwise rows of bottles are provided. Accordingly the numerals one to ive not only designate the bottle but also designate a particular jewel while the numerals one to twelve on the drawer partition designate thepmake of watch. The ve jewels referred to are, first the cook jewel, second the foot jewel, third, left pallet stone, fourth, right pallet stone, fifth, roller jewel.

Assuming that all the containers are lled with parts and a watch is to be repaired, the operation will now be described. The watchmaker casts his eye alphabetically along the directory until he nds the name of the watch with the proper information as to manufacturers number, Size and shape. The particular series which the card is in will indicate the drawer number and accordingly he will open that particular drawer. The number above the card will give him the number of the watch parts and as he knows which containers the various parts are in he will accordingly select the container having the correct number and take the part he requires therefrom. By this arrangement the correct part will always be obtained and no mistake can be made.

Ii several parts are required for a, watch, the containers can be removed from the drawer and placed in iront of the watchmaker so that he can select them while he works. When the work is finished, the watchmaker will merely look at the containers to observe the numbers and he can then instantly place them in their proper position back in the drawer.

Should a watch come in for repair and the parts required are not in stock, the watchmaker will fasten a card to the watch with the owners name and the parts required written thereon. The watch will then be placed in the compartment 28 of the small drawer 25. It is important however, that the watchmaker place the watch in the correct drawer having the parts for said watch. He will then order the parts. When these parts arrive and are being placed in their proper containers, the watch will be noted and the card will be read to see if they are the parts required. Accordingly, the repair will be drawn to the watchmakers attention and will not be overlooked.

By arranging the containers in the order above mentioned it will be noted that the watchmaker has complete visibility of all the containers when the drawers are withdrawn and he can instantly note those containers having no parts therein? and those that are becoming depleted. Acco-rdingly, when ordering a fresh supply of parts he canquickly run his eyes: over the; drawers toy come,

ilehis ordering list.

.As each drawer will hold all the'parts fortwelve under the directory plate l, theqbolts 5 and 6- being replaced by longer ones. With this addition eight series will be provided for cards instead of' four to correspond with the eightdrawers. The series on the extension platel will be numbered from five to eight to index the new ydrawers to the system-while the part numbers on the top of the directory plate can still be used forvthese new drawers as they are aligned with the cards on the extension plate. vIf the new cards added interfere: with the alphabetical arrangement of the cards on the original plate, the said cards can be moved along to make place for the new ones and the parts in the various containers can be changed over to suit. This may take a little time but once done the index system will be correct and such work will not be required again unless another section is added. For most watchmakers, two sections would be ample to take care of the trade.

When ling `or storing the jewels in the small bottles, it will be noticed that one watch manufacturer may use the same jewel in several or all models. Obviously, it would be a waste of space to place the same jewel in several different bottles according to the above system. In such cases, the jewels would be placed in a bottle for that particular jewel under the manufacturers first number. The bottles under the other numbers could then be used for storing cab and plate jewels which the watchmaker may have on hand for that make of watch. The said bottles could also be used to store the extremely small hair spring studs, screws, collets and pins which would be very easily seen in such small bottles. This', of course, is merely a suggestion as to how the space could be utilized to advantage. The watchmaker would no doubt use some such system which would have advantages peculiar to his requirements.

A further advantage of having the closed containers is that several of the small goldv lled parts, such as crowns, have a tendency to tarnish and so have to be polished up after assembly. By keeping them in the closed bottles their iinish is unmarred thus requiring no polishing and valuable time is saved.

While I have designed and perfected the above described cabinet principally for the watchmak` ing trade, it will be appreciated that it would have 5 valuable possibilities in other lines such as for the storage of radio, sewing machine, and typewriter or other parts. While I have shown the directory in a vertical position, this was merely to give clear and unobstructed vision to the watchmaker. If desired, however, it may be placed in a slanting position or ilat on the top of the cabinet section as long as the index cards are clearly visible for the purpose.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. In a parts storing cabinet: a casing having a plurality of similar drawers slidable therein; each of said drawers having two vertically spaced partitions passing centrally thereacross and supporting an elevated horizontal partition therebetween to form a visible storage space, when the drawer is open, having a floor of relatively ogee shape from the front to the back of said drawer; andv an auxiliary drawer slidable through the side of said rst mentioned drawer and receivable in the space below said horizontal partition.

2, In a parts storing cabinet: a section unit having' a plurality of similar drawers slidable therein; each of said drawers having two vertical partitions passing centrally thereacross and supporting an elevated horizontal partition therebetween to form a well compartment thereabove, a chamber compartment therebelow and relatively deep compartments at each end of said drawer; a stepped member positioned within and at the rear of each end compartment and provided with a series of vertical holes therealong; bottles mounted in said holes; a series of bins positioned in front of said stepped members; a series of boxes positioned in said well compartment; said bins, bottles and boxes all visible,

when said drawer is open, in a relatively ogee formation from the front to the back of said drawer; an auxiliary drawer slidable into the side of said rst mentioned drawer and receivable within said chamber compartment; said auxiliary drawer having the bottom thereof provided with plural lines of vertical holes; bottles positioned in said plural lines of holes; the walls of said auxiliary drawer marked to designate'said lines of holes; and said bottles and boxes individually marked for the purpose of indicia.

JOHN A. BELCHER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the iile of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 489,558 Essington Jan. 10, 1893 822,875 Topham June 5, 1906 832,954 Buehler Oct. 9, 1906 1,108,082 Pennock Aug. 18, 1914 1,331,862 Claus Feb. 24, 1920 1,430,849 Porter et al. Oct. 3, 1922 

